Little Kgothatso Molefe who has been missing for three weeks turned seven yesterday.

Needless to say, it was not a happy cake moment for her family, as they spent the day praying for her safe return.

The Molefe family in Tlhabane in Rustenburg, North West, are puzzled about the disappearance of their child.

The grade 2 pupil at Rampa Primary School never made it home after school on July 24.

Since then, her mother Nthabiseng has been battling to sleep or even eat as she is concerned about her safety. She was too distraught to speak to Sowetan yesterday.

Family member Kagiso Mthithibala, 26, said the past three weeks had been difficult.

"The house is no longer the same; it is very quiet without my cousin's infectious laughter. My aunt [Nthabiseng] spends most of her time praying for her daughter's safe return. She went missing just a street away from her home and it baffles us that no one saw her on that day.

"Whatever took place that day happened after she separated with her friends. They were all walking from school.

"We find it difficult to understand how it is possible that a child can go missing in broad daylight without anyone seeing anything."

Mthithibala said since Kgothatso's disappearance the family has made it a point to walk her other siblings to and from school.

"We fear for their lives because we don't know what happened to their sister," Mthithibala said.

"There is not a second that passes without us thinking about her, about what she eats, where she sleeps or even what she wears.

"We plead with anyone who has seen her to bring her back to her mother."

Education MEC Mmaphefo Matsemela said the matter was very disturbing and appealed for anyone with any information to contact police.